Pentagon: Iran Seeks to “Force a Diplomatic Solution to Hostilities”
Iran continues to develop its military capabilities, including ballistic missiles, nuclear weapons-related technologies, and unconventional forces, according to a new Department of Defense report to Congress.
The Pentagon assessment was first reported yesterday in “Iran’s Ballistic Missiles Improving, Pentagon Finds” by Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg News.
The report itself appears to stress that while developing offensive capabilities, Iran’s military posture is essentially defensive in character.
“Iran’s military doctrine remains designed to slow an invasion; target its adversaries’ economic, political, and military interests; and force a diplomatic solution to hostilities while avoiding any concessions that challenge its core interests,” the report says.
Similarly, “Iran’s unconventional forces are trained according to its asymmetric warfare doctrine and would present a formidable force while defending Iranian territory.”
A copy of the new Pentagon Annual Report on Military Power of Iran, dated April 2012 but transmitted to Congress late last month, is available here.
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